In Search of Crystal
by frigginchicken
Summary: The tournament for the search for the next Craftlord begins in bad conditions with Wystern in a crisis and a mysterious threat about to materialize. PrattyxVaril.
1. One Year later

Authoress' Note: This is my first (serious) fanfiction so any comment, constructive or otherwise, is appreciated :D I am already going to assume that you all know the characters and settings so I will not waste words on their descriptions. Whether or not this will be continued will be determined by audience feedback, time and my creative brain juices.

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night or any of its characters otherwise all of them would have been hugged to death.

Amariss walked around Middle Wystern looking for the house floating on the water. That house used to be Master Sakuro before he went on leave to roam the world. Amariss opened the door and was greeted by an adorable floating mass of green.

"Well, hello Kutty," said Amariss with a smile.

"Kutty!"

"Where's your master? It's almost time for the opening ceremony."

"Kuu…"

Kutty flew to the bedroom and Amariss browsed the living room with her motherly eye before she followed the summon beast. There was some leftover curry on the stove but otherwise, it was a rather neat room.

She entered the bedroom to find her daughter sleeping on her desk amongst her work papers. Her hair was in disarray and there was a small pool of saliva under her chin but she still looked like her very cute self. Amariss smiled. She was so proud that her child was striving so hard to be a Craftlord.

"Kutty, will you please wake her up while I prepare some breakfast," requested Amariss as she left the room.

Kutty flew to his master's side and without a moment's hesitation, gave her a heavy punch. Pratty got up suddenly scattering the papers on her desk. She looked out the window and panicked at the sight of the morning sun. She had been late so many times, even before she was a Craftlord and didn't want to add this one to the list.

"Kutty! Um…wait –oh no…" stuttered Pratty as she grabbed her hat (?) and weapon's bag. She quickly pulled out tufts of her out of the holes of her hat and said "I'm sorry Kutty but I think I don't have time to make you breakfast today. Maybe we'll just grab some naan or…Mom!"

Pratty saw her mother already putting plates of her delicious cooking on the table. Amariss greeted her daughter with a warm smile. "Well hurry now, dear. You already have a reputation for being late."

"Mom, I didn't expect you to be here," said Pratty as she sat down to breakfast. Kutty was already nibbling on a piece of toast.

"I wanted to see you. Today reminded me of last year when you were rushing to the opening ceremony but now, you're going as a Craftlord. Oh, how time flies..." Amariss reminisced dreamily. She looked lovingly at her daughter and saw in her a greater spirit even than the last Craftlord of Iron.

~o~

"Dang it. The opening ceremony should've started minutes ago," thought Varil.

"She's late again…" he whispered in annoyance but found himself smiling. He shook his head in an attempt to wipe the grin off his face. He browsed the hall and sighed in contempt. There were a considerable number of apprentice craftknights that have never even made a weapon much less wield one in battle but most of them were the losers of last year (but who was he to talk when he was one of them). There was that spaz, Sanary, with that determined little kid, Razzy. Apparently, they too knew which Craftlord everyone was waiting for and they seemed to be coming over. Oh no…

"Hey, Varil did you hear," said Razzy who was jumping up and down in excitement.

"He probably has cause his daddy dearest will be organizing the whole thing," teased Sanary.

Varil knew they were talking about the New Year's fair the Gold Guild was sponsoring. Ore and material suppliers from all over the world would gather in the city of Swords to sell their wares on New Year's night. Craftknights will be given a chance to use materials that cannot be found in the labyrinth. This event will be Wystern's first New Year celebration/party although the real reason behind this was to boost Wystern's declining economy but he doubt that either of these two knew that. New Year's eve was not far behind.

"Hmph…" he said with disdainful smirk.

Sanary scowled at him and said "So where's the apple of your eye?"

Varil glared at her threateningly. She grinned in victory for she knew she had hit a nerve. Varil was just about to retort when Pratty's voice filled the hall. Everyone turned around to face the platform. The opening ceremony was about to begin.

~o~

"So how was it," asked Pratty.

Varil gazed at the water of the fountain thinking of a suitable answer. "You talked way too fast and that made you seem overly nervous. And your words were slurring here and there."

Pratty frowned, "It was that bad?"

"I'm just saying that I would have done better when I'm Craftlord…"

"Oh really?"

"Of course. Your speech wasn't even original. Most of it was taken from the speech last year."

"Yeah, I was raiding Master Sakuro's old workspace the other night and found his old papers. I'm sorry if I couldn't help but use some of his words. I was just so inspired when I first heard them."

"…"

"Varil what's wrong? Did I say something bad?"

"Hmm…it's nothing. You don't need to strain your brain thinking about it. I'm going home."

Varil walked briskly to Middle Wystern leaving Pratty to ponder the meaning of his words.

Pratty was dumbfounded, "What was that all about?"

~o~

Varil was greeted by Nigelle at the door. "Did you have a good night with Master Pratty young Master?"

Varil did not answer but quickly put his spear in his weapon's rack and headed straight for his room.

"Should I prepare the bath Master Varil?"

"No need Nigelle," Varil answered through the door.

He slumped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Why was he so angry at Pratty when she said that? Was it even Pratty that he was angry at? Perhaps he was angry at Sakuro? Yes, it was Sakuro but why? Was it because he had stolen Pratty's attention from him even when he was so far away? Why does he even care whether he gets Pratty's attention? He doesn't need it. He has no use for it. But then again…

"Argh!" Varil shouted in exasperation.

Nigelle smiled when he heard his young master's cry of frustration. It was a good sign. It meant that Master Varil was finally thinking of someone other than himself.

~o~

_Razzy had just came back from the central tower. She opened the door of her room in the Gold Guild._

"Let's begin this Craftlord's meeting with the several complaints of missing Summonite gems," began Master Rondeau.

_Th_a_t's strange. Razzy remembered that she didn't leave the window open._

"Without their Summonite gems these craftknights are unable to summon their summon beast which led to the drastic decline in the quality of their weapons and consequently, the decline in our economy as well," continued Master Ureksa.

"Unable to summon their summon beast…" reflected Pratty with Kutty floating just beside her.

_There was a clang at the back of her forge. She grabbed the nearest pair of knuckles she could find and walked carefully to the back._

"It's possible that these well-trained craftknights could have simply misplaced their gems," said Master Rondeau.

_She edged closer and a flash of black began dashing uncontrollably across the room whilst scattering mineral ores and turning over furniture. Razzy tried to summon Rygel but couldn't find her summonite gem anywhere._

"But it's more likely that there's a third party involved" said Master Kouren.

_Razzy tried to make it to the door but whatever it was creating so much wind that it was pushing her back. She punched aimlessly in the air hoping to at least hit it once._

"You mean someone may be stealing our summonite gems," asked Pratty.

_The gusts of wind were getting stronger and Razzy was pinned against the wall._

"No Iron," answered Master Rondeau.

_The winds stopped and Razzy dropped down on her knees in exhaustion. She tried to stand up but a sharp pain suddenly filled her legs._

"…Someone IS stealing our summonite gems."

_The pain slowly crept through her whole body, paralyzing her until everything went black._

~o~

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. Resurfacing

**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Summon Night or any of its characters or franchises. Believe me, you'll be the first to know when I do.**

NOTE: Thanks for the feedback! You guys totally made my day with your comments  I'm sorry if I've taken so long to update. A recent bout of chicken pox and major flooding had kept me from writing. I've also got my periodical tests coming up, so wish me luck!

I've made some changes to my writing style and decided to do less scene-shifting (my doctor says it only encourages my ADHD XD). This was shorter than what I intended it to be because of the paperwork piled up in my desk. Sorry, guys. Hopefully, I'll update soon. Remember, the greater the audience feedback, the sooner I'll update!

Thanks to Ellishia for pointing out the Razzy and Gold guild thing. My bad ^^*.

RANDOM NOTE: I can't seem to get past the last Sync boss in TOA (he's just way too cute to kill 3) but must he kill three of my characters with just one Harrowing Gale? Don't even get me started on Akashic Torment (which he says with his really cute voice "Akashiku Tormentu!" :3)

~O~

Sanary was at the Inn selling some of her swords. The innkeeper and his customers were very much entertained at watching Sanary haggle yet couldn't help but pity the salesman.

"8500 boam and that's my final offer," was Sanary's ultimatum to the man.

"But Ma'am, I could buy at least 5 decent swords with that amount," he protested.

"THOSE pieces aren't refined from Mystic Ore," retorted Sanary calmly and she turned towards the door and said, "But if you want to have it that way, I could just sell my weapons in Vance. They would probably have more appreciation for my work."

"7000 boam!" called the salesman from behind.

Sanary smiled. She had him now.

"8000," she offered.

"7500,"

Sanary lightly cupped her face in thought and said, "Hmm, I would be compromising a lot…"

"Ok, 7,750" said the salesman in a defeated voice.

Sanary carefully counted the 7,750 boam and placed it in her pouch. "Nice doing business with you," she said as she closed her pouch and headed for the door.

As she reached for the inn's brass doorknob, the ground gave out a slight tremble which immediately turned into violent shakes. The silverware rattled on the tabletops and the customers grasped for anything stable to hold on to.

After a few seconds, the vibrations started to die down. The customers' murmurs started to fill the inn.

"An earthquake?"

"It been a year since something like this has happened…"

"Haven't the Craftlords taken care of this?"

"Not again…"

Sanary regained her posture and briskly walked out of the door.

"That's right," thought Sanary as she crossed the bridge and walked past the puzzled faces of the Wystern's citizens, "The people don't know what happened with the Holy Spirit…but still…"

She stopped in the middle of the street and stared at her sweaty palms. Buried memories of last year's events replayed in her mind. She shook her head in the attempt to push them away. She clenched her fists, bit her lip and continued walking with an air of renewed determination – determination to not let the past bring her down. She arrived at the Silver Guild's doorway. She felt relieved that she could finally just go to her room and do what she loved best, crafting. But when she opened the door, instead of relief, she was only greeted with more shock.

"What happened to Razzy?!"

~o~

The Craftlord of Jade and the Craftlord of Iron made their way to Parista's chamber. The red crystals no longer glowed from the heat of the Holy Spirit of Fire and were merely a shadow of their glittering glory. It was clear that Parista no longer resided in the Central Tower's labyrinth.

"Maybe, it was just an ordinary earthquake?" suggested Pratty to Master Ureksa.

"Perhaps…" thought Master Ureksa aloud as he scanned the chamber, "Yes, then we should go."

Kutty suddenly turned to the chamber's exit and let out an audible growl.

"Hmm, Kutty what's wrong?" asked Pratty.

Kutty swiftly flew outside leaving Pratty and Master Ureksa.

"Kutty, wait!" called out Kutty's distressed Master.

Master Ureksa and Pratty were fast enough to keep pace with the flash of green as it flew down the labyrinth's lower levels. They passed by the floating blue lanterns as they made their way to the cold depths of the central tower. As they raced through the labyrinth, the ground gave another unexpected shake. Master Ureksa held on to a nearby column but Pratty was not as lucky and stumbled face first on the stone cold floor. The vibrations ceased after a few seconds.

"Are you okay?" inquired Master Ureksa as he helped Pratty up.

"I'm fine," Pratty smiled, "but what was that just now?"

"It could be just the aftershock. However…" answered Master Ureksa.

Pratty waited for him to continue but he only shook his head and said, "Ah, never mind. Let's go find your guardian beast."

They quickly went down the staircase and as they made a sharp turn, they saw Pratty's lone guardian beast engaged in fight with a large group of Dragon Puppies.

Pratty quickly rushed to help her guardian beast, slashing through her adversaries with ease. Ureksa was having his own problem and was being ganged up by even a larger group of summons.

"Kutty, are you okay?" inquired Pratty.

"Kutty!" answered Kutty, happy that his master came to his aid.

But the battle was far from over. The injured Dragon Puppies immediately recovered and completely surrounded Pratty and Kutty. Instead of spitting embers, they spewed out flames of fire leaving no room for escape. Their flames were about to engulf Pratty nevertheless, her first impulse was to turn her back from her attackers and shield her guardian beast. A thump on the ground and a twirl of a cold metal lance, and the flames were put out before they reached her.

"Varil!" exclaimed Pratty.

Varil had jumped in between her and the Dragon Puppies just in time and obviously, it did not make the summon creatures any happier.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Pratty?!" shouted Varil as he continued to defend the dumbstruck Pratty from the strays' continued flames.

It was just like Varil to scold her like that but Pratty still smiled as she said with embarrassment, "I'm sorry…"

She tightened her grip on her sword and said, "Don't worry. This time, I'll make sure I do this right."

Varil let out a sigh of exasperation and shifted to an offensive stance while Pratty jumped up to finish off the floating menaces. It took some time but they finally finished the job. By that time, Master Ureksa had already dealt with his own enemies without even breaking a sweat.

"Nice spear work there, kid," Master Ureksa commented.

Varil smirked and replied, "Of course."

"Those stray summons…" thought Pratty out loud, "There was something different about them."

"They were unusually stronger than ordinary strays," agreed Master Ureksa, "Not like there were any."

"Huh?" asked a puzzled Pratty.

"Indeed," remarked Varil, "I didn't encounter any other stray summons on my way down."

"Now that I think about it, neither did we," added Pratty.

"Come, it must be getting dark outside," said Master Ureksa motioning for them to go back to the surface.

And indeed, the sky was already dabbed with shades of purple and orange by the time they had resurfaced. The blue waters that surrounded Wystern swished gently as the people rode its waves, headed for their homes after a hard day's work. It was hard to imagine that just moments ago, the same city was struck by two violent earthquakes.

"Iron, you wouldn't mind if I leave the paperwork on this up to you," Master Ureksa requested, "Sakuro just sent in a mountain of postcards that need to be sorted."

"Of course," agreed Pratty amicably. She showed not even a hint of a grudge against Ureksa despite the fact that he tried to kill her three times in the past.

Ureksa thanked Pratty and took his leave, dreading the pile of mail that awaited him at home.

"So, shall we go up?" suggested Varil. For him, it was very convenient that Pratty moved to Middle Wystern.

"Actually, since we're here, I was planning to visit mother and Master Bron," replied Pratty, "It's okay if you go up without me."

Varil frowned and said, "Very well, then. I wasn't meaning to go there but it would be a nice change of pace."

Pratty was a bit surprised but appreciated her friend's company all the same.

The skies glowed a delicate sepia. The sun was beginning to sink behind the sea. Kutty had fallen asleep and was being carried by his Master. Varil watched him with a tinge of annoyance; that summon beast was the same reason Pratty had acted so dim-wittedly in the labyrinth.

"Why is your guardian beast always with you?" asked Varil, "You know, there's a reason why you were given a summonite gem."

"I like it that he's with me," answered Pratty benevolently.

"Kuu~" snored Kutty.

Pratty gazed at the sleeping bundle of fur in her arms, "That fight must have tired him out. It's strange; he's usually more energetic than this."

Varil looked at Pratty as they walked the emptying streets of the City of Swords. She was lovingly carrying Kutty in her arms. How long before was it when she was the one being carried by her guardian beast? She had come a long way from the novice she had once been. She was that same clueless, naïve novice that beat him last year but strangely enough, he felt no regret whatsoever about the past events. He still had a long way to go before he could even consider himself the Craftlord of Iron's rival again but that only strengthened his determination. Now, more than ever, he wanted that Craftlord's title.

"Hey, Varil," said Pratty all of the sudden interrupting his thoughts.

Varil blushed and blurted in surprise, "Yeah, what?"

The sun had completely disappeared leaving the sky completely gray. The sea breeze played wistfully on their faces. Pratty breathed in the familiar smell of salt and dew and turned to face Varil with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks."

~o~

Master Kouren had just arrived in Seijent. The trip had taken longer than expected in spite of the good weather conditions. A boy had been waiting for the arrival of a ship and immediately raced to the coastline.

"Master Kouren of Wystern, I presume?"

"Drop the formalities, Hayato," chuckled Master Kouren.

"So what brings a Craftlord to Seijent," asked Hayato, "If you think we're hiding another sword, then you've got another thing coming."

Master Kouren's became serious once more and answered, "Actually, I came here to ask for the Cerulean Society's help."

"Well then, I'm afraid you've come at a bad time," said Hayato. Despite the darkness, Master Kouren could see on his tired face his obvious sadness.

"Our resources are a bit overtaxed right now," continued Hayato.

"How so?" inquired Kouren.

"We've been losing summoners," answered Hayato, "They're disappearing one by one and we have no idea what happened to them."

"That's strange," said Master Kouren as she thoughtfully twirled her hair around her finger, "We've been losing Summonite gems."

"Don't get me wrong," added Master Kouren, "I know it's small compared to what you have to face but it all still seems so odd."

"Well until this is all cleared up, I'm afraid that we don't have any summoners to spare," sighed Hayato, "Even my sister…"

"I understand," sympathized Master Kouren.

Hayato prepared to leave. "Perhaps, the Cerulean Society can still partake in Wystern's upcoming New Year fair?" invited Master Kouren.

"Yes..." Hayato smiled weakly, "We would like that very much."

And with that, the hero of Seijent headed back to the village.

~o~

_Oh, you've come back! So how did it go? What, you were seen? That's not good. Oh, don't be so sad! You did fine but we have to lay low for a while, ok? Don't worry; we'll have everyone back before this is all over. You'll get to see your mama again so please, don't get so depressed._

_What's this? My match notice? Hmm, let's see…Mariel and Ariel from the Silver guild. It's ok, I'm not worried that we have to fight two people at once. We'll crush them no matter how many Craftknights they throw at us..._

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	3. Procrastination Chapter

Author's Note: I am just procrastinating right about now so this chapter probably won't make much sense, and neither will I. Anyways, comments are always welcome. They can be about my style, the plot or even my tpyos. This chapter will probably be short since my laptop doesn't love me anymore XP.

**Disclaimer: Me? Own Summon Night? HAHAHAHA!!! Not gonna happen ******

~O~

Two craftknights went down the labyrinth to gather materials. The woman was already eight and a half months pregnant with their child but her husband could do nothing to dissuade her from skipping out on what happened to be a their monthly tradition of gathering ores. The man felt guilty. He could not deny that his wife was the better craftknight and usually did all the work when it came to battling strays but this time he would not let her lift a finger. He will try to fight of the strays by himself for this time, he was protecting two lives. But in the end, he could not go against her stubborn nature.

Even in her condition, the woman still fought with grace and skill that exceeded an ordinary Wystern craftknight and they made it to the lower levels with ease. She was easily tired out so her husband offered to carry her on his back. She gladly accepted.

As they descended the labyrinth's staircase, they talked about how good life has been to them. They were earning a modest living selling their works like other craftknights but this was enough to bring them happiness. They talked about their baby. She hoped that it would be a boy and that he would be as handsome and smart as his father. He only wished that the child would not be as stubborn as his mother. She laughed at his statement; he seldom made a joke like that.

Then she felt the baby pushing and trying to come out. He immediately carried her to the nearest teleporter only to meet a red dragon. His wife was already crying out in pain, how could she possibly fight like that? They had no time for this! He grabbed his crude axe and ran to meet the dragon that was blocking their way. The red dragon swept its tail with one swift motion and the man and his wife crashed into the labyrinth's walls.

By that time, she was having a hard time going into labor and was already bleeding uncontrollably. He jumped and held onto the dragon's neck in desperation. He tried to chop of his head but his axe could not chop through the creature's metal body. He eventually found the dragon's eyes and gave it a good hit. The dragon thrashed violently. It breathed fire anywhere and hit the already-weathered, labyrinth walls. The man was ricocheted across the labyrinth and hit the wall head first then everything just blacked out.

When he had awoken, the labyrinth was already in ruins. Stone debris was scattered everywhere and the crates were burnt to ashes. There was no sign of the red dragon…or his wife. He took no notice of his aching head and frantically searched for her. He clumsily went through the debris with his axe while calling out to her. No one replied. After what seemed like an eternity of searching, he heard faint crying. He found their baby buried under burnt debris, almost suffocating but still crying out with all its might.

He dropped his axe and rushed to free the infant. He browsed the surroundings; still he couldn't find his wife. He cradled the baby in his arms. He was a handsome, healthy boy just like she wanted. Then and there, he made a promise to give his child the best life he could possibly give. He will protect and shelter him, the same things he failed to do for his wife.

"There, there. Hush, everything's going to be fine. You'll grow up to be a wonderful man…Varil."

~o~

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	4. Into the Cold

Author's Note: Not much happening in this chapter but I haven't updated for months and I felt guilty about that a lot. Though I have to admit this is not one of the better chapters, I still hope you enjoy it. Again, comments and criticism is always greatly appreciated.

_~O~_

_An unexpected surge of curiosity had gotten hold of me. I look upwards only to see the low stone ceiling covered with red glittering stalactites. Maybe I should take a walk outside before my match tomorrow?_

Pratty, familiar as she is with the guild, had expected to hear the sound of apprentices pounding on steel practicing the new technique that Master Bron had just thought them but instead, she and Varil were greeted with an unnerving silence.

Sanary came out of Master Bron's room and did not look surprised to see the two.

"So, you've heard," Sanary said with a sigh.

"Heard what?" asked Pratty.

Sanary raised her eyebrow suspiciously and answered, "Razzy's been badly injured. She's even been paralyzed."

"Paralyzed?!" exclaimed Pratty.

"Doesn't she have a match coming up?" asked Varil.

"Yes, right after Mariel and Ariel's." nodded Pratty.

_There's someone pulling my sleeve. Oh, it's you. I'm going to the surface. Do you want to come along? You don't have to. I know you don't like it there…Oh, really?! Thanks, I'd feel much better if you're with me._

"Master Bron has gone to central tower to explain the situation to the Craftlords," explained Sanary, "That's why I thought you already knew."

"We just came out of the labyrinth," said Varil.

Sanary's worried frown suddenly turned into a smirk, "The labyrinth, huh? Just you two?"

Varil scowled at Sanary.

"No Master Ureksa was with us," said Pratty casually, apparently not noticing Sanary's change of tone or Varil's menacing stares.

"U-huh…" said Sanaray thoughtfully.

_It's cold out here – colder than below. There doesn't seem to be much people on the streets. They're probably all hiding from the cold. Hmm…where are you going?_

"Where is she?" said Pratty.

"She's in Master Bron's room with your mom," said Sanary pointing her thumb to the door behind her, "She still hasn't woken up."

Pratty walked past Sanary and gently closed the door behind her leaving Sanary and Varil in the hall.

"So why did YOU come?" asked Sanary bluntly.

"You know very well that the Gold and Silver Guild have established a contract that benefits both to the quality of weapons and apprentice training and consequently, ended this silly feud months ago – "

"I'm not talking about why you could come," Sanary cut in, "I'm asking why you did come."

Varil gazed at the door of Master Bron's room, "Because I wanted to come with her."

"I knew that," Sanary smiled, "I just wanted to hear you say it out loud."

_A fountain? I didn't know there was a park here but then I don't really go here that often. It's really pretty isn't it? Hmm? There's something falling into the water! It's everywhere! It looks soft. One of them falls on my arm. I brace myself for the worst. It's cold but I appear to not have sustained any serious damage._

It was getting late so Varil and Pratty said their farewells to Sanary and Amariss. As Varil opened the door, he slipped on the pavement. Pratty grabbed hold of his shoulders to help him regain his balance.

"Are you alright, dear?" inquired Amariss.

"I – I'm fine," Stuttered Varil.

Varil now turned his head to Pratty with uncertainty but she wasn't looking at him. She was gazing at the sky with wonder with her mouth open in astonishment that she had almost forgotten that she was holding on to him.

The pavement was now covered with a thin blanket of snow and dots of white slowly fell from the black skies of Wystern.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. For whose sake?

For those have been waiting for this chapter, I'm terribly sorry. School and stuff takes up so much time that I barely even sleep (my normal five hours per night has been reduced to two). But because of the feedback I've been receiving, I decided to write anyhow. Again, please review (I specially want feedback on the dialogue). I will appreciate anything that can help me remove my weaknesses or invest on my strengths as a writer. The more reviews, the faster I'll update.

I'm not a fan on love triangles. Just saying *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

Oh yeah, I introduce to you, my readers, the ANTAGONIST *dum, dum, dum*!

P.S. It snows in Wystern. Every year. It just came late this year. Oh yeah, it's almost Christmas there. So, PRESENTS!

~o~

The streets of Wystern were even busier now that Christmas was fast approaching. Early preparations for the first ever New Year Trading Fair were already being put up on the third and second level of Wystern, as the first was mostly devoted to the Yuletide Season.

It was early in the morning and it was comfortably cool. Pratty and Kutty sat besides Razzy, who despite being unable to move was full of her usual energy.

"I hate this," proclaimed Razzy, "My match starts in the next three hours! Now I'll have to forfeit and I'll never be a Craftlord like Big Sis."

"Oh don't worry," said Pratty with an encouraging smile, "Knowing you, I won't be surprised if you were better by that time. And I never really see you as a Crystal Craftlord type."

"What kinda Craftlord am I then, Big Sis?"

"Hmm…Amber."

"Kutty!" Apparently, Kutty agreed.

"You aren't just saying this because Master's my uncle, aren't you?"

"What? Of course not."

"Or…Big Sis, are you comparing me to that creepy eel-moustache...um…creep?!"

Pratty laughed. Well or not, Razzy was still Razzy. What happened to Lubert anyway? Sure, he sold out to the Dielgayans but for a Craftlord to be killed by a falling CRATE – man, that was just pathetic.

"Kuu…" said Kutty as he gently nudged Pratty.

"What is it Kutty?" asked Pratty.

"Kuu!" said Kutty as he gave Pratty a frustrated punch.

"Ow, what was that – " Pratty caught sight of the clock and finally realized, "Oh, Razzy I have to go!"

"Aww…really? I don't want to be stuck here in this stuffy bed all by myself."

"I have to look over a match," explained Pratty apologetically, "I already promised everyone I wouldn't be late again."

"Kuu…" said Kutty with a nod.

"M'kay, bye Big Sis," said Razzy a bit grudgingly.

"Bye Razzy," said Pratty as she closed the door gently behind her followed by her Guardian Beast.

By that time, a thick layer of snow had already covered the streets of Wysterns. That clean picture of white felt like a refreshing change from the ordinary smoky gray.

Kutty dashed in front of Pratty urging her to hurry, "Kutty!"

"Oh no, I'm going to be late again," panted Pratty as she quickened her walk to a run, "Thanks, Kutty. If it wasn't for you I might have missed the match – ughh!"

Pratty, in her rush, had crashed into someone. She landed on the pavement with a thud causing serious pain to her backside. She looked up to find a pale boy who looked just as old as her. His blonde hair was clumsily fastened to the back of his head with the strap of his goggles. The goggles themselves were strange – the lenses were made of a red crystalline material that totally hid the boy's eyes. Although the goggles hid his eyes, a kind of silent fury was evident as he stared at Pratty but his expression quickly changed to a look of concern.

"Are you okay, Master Pratty?" he asked as he extended his hand to help.

"I'm fine, thank you," said Pratty taking his hand, "I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Kutty?" asked Kutty worried.

"I'm fine Kutty, thank you."

There was loud growling coming from the boy's hands. Pratty just noticed that he was holding some sort of red lizard in his arms.

"He's my guardian beast," explained the boy.

Another Craftknight who kept his Guardian Beast by his side? Pratty felt immediate affection for this boy. The creature stretched out it wings as it growled louder at Pratty. It wasn't a lizard at all but a small dragon.

Kutty growled back menacingly trying to tell the dragon to back off.

"Kutty, what's wrong?" asked Pratty.

"Control yourself," whispered the boy to his guardian beast, "I'm sorry. He's not usually like this."

"Kutty's acting strange too," said Pratty thoughtfully.

"It's nice to finally meet the Craftlord of Iron" said the boy with a smile, "But there's somewhere I have to be."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Pratty realizing that she too had to someplace she needed to be.

"It was nice to meet you too," said Pratty with haste, "Come on, Kutty."

Kutty immediately followed his master to the Central Tower giving a last suspicious look at the boy and his guardian beast.

When they had finally gone, the boy looked guardian beast who still looked hostile. The dragon gently nudged him repeatedly on his chest.

"I know, I know," he said, "Twas' Iron's daughter…"

~o~

Varil usually let Nigelle do his Christmas shopping but this year he wanted his gifts (actually, one gift in particular) to be personal. It was definitely difficult for shopkeepers could tell that it was his first time shopping and they kept harassing them with their merchandise. He was browsing a shop's display of tableware when he heard a familiar voice.

"Varil, is that you?!" cried Kenon in astonishment, "I'd never thought I'd see the day the son of the Gold Guild goes out to shop for himself."

Kenon walked over to Varil. "Did you run out of spoons or something?"

"No. Actually, I was Christmas shopping," said Varil visibly annoyed.

"And you were getting someone silverware?" asked Kenon, "I'm sorry Varil but this is Christmas not someone's wedding."

Varil sighed. Kenon had a point. He turned to Kenon and said, "I could use your help."

"Sure," said Kenon with sympathy, "What can I help you with?"

"I've already bought everyone else's present," Varil explained, "There's only one left and it's surprisingly difficult to pick."

"You have enough boam to spend," said Kenon, "Maybe you can explain why you can't find a gift. I know you're a perfectionist when it comes to these sort of things but you managed pretty well seeing that you already bought something for everyone else."

"This is…different," said Varil. He found it hard to explain why he this seemly simple choice seemed like such a hard task. Even he didn't know why he found this so difficult. It was just Pratty after all – Pratty, who became his first real friend despite the fact that he insulted her the first time they met; Pratty, who still liked him when he called her a capital L loser (which he still hasn't apologized for); Pratty, who helped him reconcile with his father even though she didn't have to.

"It's for someone… very special," Varil added.

"Well, I want a new forging hammer. My old one's not been up to scratch these days," said Kenon with a goofy grin, "Now you know what to get…unless this is for someone else?"

"Oh yes, Kenon. You ARE special," said Varil sarcastically, "But you're just not VERY special."

"I'll take that as a compliment. In my opinion, you need a very special gift for someone 'very special' and the last time I checked, spoons and forks definitely don't classify under 'very special'."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know. Who is this 'very special' someone?"

Varil blushed, "You – you don't have to know!"

"Okay then," nodded Kenon. Somehow, he understood, "Whoever the person, I'm sure you'll find the perfect gift."

"Really now?"

"Of course," said Kenon with a knowing smile, "I never underestimate a person with an ambition. That much I learned from you in the last Craftknight tournament."

~o~

Pratty rushed to the middle of the arena with Kutty. Mariel and Ariel stood ready to fight and the spectators sat patiently in their seats. Pratty just opened her mouth to apologize when the boy she ran into walked into the hall.

"It's you. So you're…" muttered Pratty.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said as he brandished his spear, "I'm ready to begin."

"Oh, right!" said Pratty, "7th match of the 2nd Craftknight tournament: Mariel versus Flynn. As Craftknights of Wystern, fight with honor and dignity."

Mariel with her drill rushed to make the first hit.

"Peere," murmured Flynn. The dragon instantly went in front of him and breathed out a huge flame. Mariel got in the range of fire and did not back off in time to avoid it. She tried to block the fire by shielding herself with her drill still her arm sustained serious burns. She was so busy blocking Peere that Mariel did not realize that Flynn was already behind her.

"I admire you for utilizing your own resources instead of using a summon beast," he said as he cocked his spear, "How noble…"

"Ar –" shouted Mariel as she called out to her sister but it was too late.

"And extremely foolish," he said as he thrust his spear into her back.

But instead of hitting Mariel, Pratty intervened and spear plunged into her stomach. Flecks of her blood landed on Flynn's surprised face. The crowd gasped and screamed. Everything happened to fast.

Pratty fell down on the floor stained with her own blood. She heard Mariel calling for a medic and the sound of hurried footsteps. Sanary had ran down from the stands and looked at her, frantically shouting her name as Ariel tried to heal her with shaking hands. She saw Kutty floating around nervously, nudging Pratty tenderly hoping that she would make any sign of movement. She saw Flynn holding his spear that was covered in her blood. His expression seemed completely blank; no regret, no fear, no emotion at all.

Then total darkness.

_**To be continued…**_


	6. Warmth

Woot! Woot! I am giving free e-cookies to anyone who can guess my age. Just kidding :D You can have a free e-cookie anyway. Nom, nom, nom! Free e-muffins for anyone who can guess the ending :3 (I am so excited!)

And don't worry, I am here to finish this story! Keep reviewing. Reviews make me work faster, you'll see.

A friend told me that my romance is waaaaay too subtle. The comments say so too. So I am now officially putting more effort into developing Pratty and Varil's relationship. _**PLEASE COMMENT ON WHETHER THE ROMANCE IS STILL TOO SUBTLE OR IT JUST GOT WAY TOO MUSHY OR IT WAS JUST RIGHT**_. Hope the caps, underline, italicization, politeness and boldness-ity got your attention. I do this because I happen to like the pairing and you guys a lot (please, don't take that personally).

Now that that's out of the way, onwards!

P.S. This may be the longest chapter I've ever written.

~O~

There was a flurry of footsteps in Amariss's house. Master Bron just came with her bloody daughter in his arms with Sanary, Kutty, Mariel and Ariel behind him. Luckily, Pratty's wound was bandaged and her breathing seemed to be stable.

Mariel and Ariel only stayed for a short while since they had to go back for their rematch. The other Craftlords came by to check up on Pratty and left immediately except Master Kouren who decided to stay behind.

Moments later, Varil hurriedly walked through the door, hung his snow-covered coat in the living room, and went upstairs. He took one good look at Pratty and slowly sat down with Amariss, Sanary, Master Bron and Master Kouren.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked without taking his eyes off Pratty.

"She's fine," said Master Bron, "I'm sure she's gotten 'erself through worse."

"Kuu…" sighed the guardian beast.

"Of course…" said Varil trying to reassure himself.

"So you're going to let him go," asked Sanary to her sister more with anger than sarcasm, "and not only that, you're going to let him advance to the next round?!"

"Yes," agreed Varil, "I don't think stabbing a Craftlord would make someone eligible to be one."

"This is entirely the Craftlords' fault," said Master Kouren sadly, "Flynn is a freelance Craftknight who just came to Wystern. You all know not to inflict any fatal wound on your opponent and we assumed he did too and failed to explain the rules to him. And besides, this was bound to happen at some point during the tournament."

"Bound to happen?!" said Sanary.

"Well, didja think there would be a tournament involvin' weapons that didn' have injuries?" replied Master Bron.

"That is why there is always a Craftlord that watches over every match," explained Master Kouren, "To ensure that no fatal wound would be inflicted to or by a contestant. And Pratty fulfilled her duty as a Craftlord admirably."

Sanary stared at the ground in defeat.

"And there was no other way to do her job but to get herself stabbed instead?" said Varil bitterly.

"You weren't there," said Sanary, "He was so fast. It was a miracle that Pratty even made it in time."

"I wish I were…"

"In any case, Flynn won the rematch with Mariel and Ariel fair and square," said Master Kouren, "I see no reason why such a promising, young Craftknight should be disqualified just because of our negligence."

They heard a knock at the door. Amariss went down to see who it was.

"Bron," said Amariss as she came back escorting Mayor Bardonrel and Clarie, "Someone's looking for you."

Bardonel's mouth opened in shock then caught sight of Pratty lying in bed, unconscious, with all these people around her.

"Is she," said Bardonrel, "…Okay?"

"Oh my," said Clarie who was also surprised at the sight, "What happened?"

"Pratty's stomach met the end of a contestant's spear," said Master Kouren with a small grin.

"That's a rather blunt way ter put it," said Master Bron, "But anyways, what're ye doin' here, ye bloke?"

"We came to assist in that New Year trading fair or yours," replied Bardonrel.

"What didja need me for?" asked Master Bron.

"Just wanted to see an old friend," Bardonrel answered, "Thought you'd be here."

"Maybe you men should continue this conversation in the living room," suggested Amariss, "This room has started to become too crowded."

"Ah, of course!" agreed Bardonrel.

Amariss was sure the kids could handle themselves alone just fine, especially with Master Kouren around but as for Bron and Bardonrel…she just went down with them to the living room to make sure they behave themselves. Clarie decided to stay in the room.

Clarie turned to Pratty's remaining visitors and blushed. "Hi Varil," she said.

"Hi," replied Varil uncertainly.

"I was wondering…" said Clarie with obvious hesitation, her face becoming redder by the second, "My father and I are going this New Year trading fair. I just found about it just now. And I was just wondering…you know…if you were perhaps going with anyone in particular."

There was stunned silence in the room. Master Kouren smiled and watched intently; she was very eager to see how this will all go down. Sanary tried to think a way to jump this obstacle to the path of her two friends finally seeing that they were made for each other (or at least the path that will make Varil less grumpy). Varil could care less about the fair right now that Pratty was lying mortally wounded just a few moments ago. Varil opened his mouth to answer but Sanary beat him to the punch.

"Yes, he is."

"Oh…" said Clarie with disappointment, "You are?"

Sanary gave Varil a murderous stare that practically said, "Oh boy, you don't want to go there."

"Umm…yeah!" answered Varil, "I am."

"I see…" said Clarie, "Then…um…I should go."

Clarie ran downstairs.

"Tsk…tsk…tsk," said Master Kouren obviously amused at the whole thing, "You didn't even give the poor girl a chance I didn't know you were spoken for and by my younger sister no less!"

"I didn't either," said Varil annoyed at the whole thing.

"Oh please," said Sanary, "I did you a favor. I know who you want to go with to the New Year fair. And you do too!"

Varil looked puzzled. Sanary slapped herself on the forehead and just about yelled, "ASK PRATTY TO THE FAIR!"

Varil blushed and tried to change the subject and asked, "How much do you know about this Flynn character?"

"Not much," replied Master Kouren, "He's not from Wystern. He learned to be a Craftknight, and a extremely talented one too from what I seen, somewhere else."

"I didn't know that there were other places that produced Craftknights," said Sanary.

"There are," informed Master Kouren, "There's the _Cliff Village_ but there aren't nearly as many Craftknights there as there are in Wystern and there are some Craftknights here who leave to teach crafting in other places."

"Well, wherever he's from," said Sanary, "There's something about him that…I really just don't like."

Amariss came back from downstairs and gently closed the door.

"Is something wrong?" asked Amariss, "Clarie looked very upset as she came down."

Master Kouren smiled slyly and Varil turned tomato-red.

"She'll get over it," answered Sanary.

"Well, she, her father and Bron left," said Amariss, "Would you three like to stay for lunch?"

Master Kouren stood up.

"Thank you Amariss for your hospitality but I should get back to the central tower," she said, "This has certainly been…a learning experience."

"Thank you for the invitation," said Sanary as she also stood up from her chair, "But I have to train for my upcoming match."

And with that, Sanary and Master Kouren said their goodbyes and went outside.

"What about you, dear?"

"I'll stay here," said Varil, "I'm not feeling hungry right now."

"I understand," said Amariss, "Just call if you need anything at all."

Varil nodded and watched the two go down stairs. Flynn, huh? He sat beside her for a while hoping that she would just open her eyes. Kutty curled up beside her and had already fallen asleep. Like Master Bron said, she's been through worse than this. She'll be alright.

But something was wrong. Pratty started to sweat and her breathing quickened.

"Ms. Amariss!" called out Varil, "Please,come quick!"

Amariss rushed to the room. She put her hand on Pratty's forehead.

"Don't worry, dear," Amariss assured Varil, "She just has a fever. Please, look after her while I'm gone. I'll just get some towels downstairs."

Varil went closer and felt Pratty's temperature. She was burning up!

"Va…ril…" she muttered in her sleep.

"Pratty?" said Varil. She just said his name.

"…Varil…no…Varil…" Pratty was practically gasping for air. Varil felt so helpless. He knew nothing about caring for the sick. Varil held her hand in an attempt to soothe her.

"I'm here, Pratty," he whispered as he held her hand tighter, "I'm right here."

~o~

Pratty stood in the middle of an eerie, white landscape that she recognized to be Wystern. There was no mistaking the concrete pavement and ironworks but somehow it wasn't Wystern. It was more like a ghost town that was so empty and unnaturally cold. The frozen waters cast no reflection as if there was only darkness below them and the thick layer of snow had buried all the memories of the people's footsteps.

Pratty walked through the snow with some difficulty for it felt like the snow was stopping her from proceeding. But she wanted to get out of here. She wanted to escape the cold.

She went to the park and the fountain's waters were frozen like some sort of strange yet beautiful crystal sculpture. There was someone at the other side of the fountain – a blonde, blue-eyed boy.

"Varil!" Pratty shouted, happy to finally see a friendly face.

But Varil didn't respond. He just kept staring at the frozen fountain.

"Varil!" she called out his name again. This time she ran to him, in spite of the snow's resistance.

It was certainly Varil but he had this blank expression on his face as he continued to gaze at the fountain's depths. Pratty extended her hand to greet her friend but when she got close, he suddenly was surrounded by huge flames. She felt her hand get burnt and immediately withdrew. She looked at her hand and there appeared to be no damage but it still stung painfully. She forgot all about that when she watched her friend being engulfed by flames which gradually started to grow consuming everything in its path.

The cold had been replaced by an intense heat. Pratty tried to avoid the flames and get to Varil but it was no use.

"Varil! No! Get out of there, hurry! Varil!" she called out to him but he still stood motionless in the middle of the inferno as if it even wasn't there.

Finally, he turned to her, his face still blank, and he said in a toneless voice, "Who are you?"

She heard a loud crash of shattering glass.

Pratty awoke to find herself in her old room. There was blunt pain in her stomach and the light hurt her eyes. Amariss had knocked over a vase of sunflowers on the drawer next to her bed. She saw Pratty had already awoken and rushed to her daughter's side. She took the warm towel on Pratty's forehead head and felt her temperature.

"It looks like your fever's gone down. How are you feeling, dear?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

"Sorry about those flowers, Pratty," said Amariss with embarrassment, "They were from Razzy, you know. Here's her card."

Pratty couldn't help but laugh when she read the card, "Now we're injury buddies!"

"I'll just get a new vase for these," said Amariss.

Amariss left the room.

Pratty felt something small and fluffy next to her. Kutty slept peacefully beside her. She decided not to wake him up for it looked like he was having a wonderful dream.

She glanced outside the window. It was very late and only a few people were still on the streets. How long had she been out?

She browsed her old room. Not much had changed: her old water scooter lay still in the corner, her closet remained untouched and the table at the side of the room was still there. Only then did she notice another creature sleeping in her room.

"Varil…"

Varil's head rested on the table. His blonde hair fell on his face and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, which was probably a kind gesture from Amariss. He had this kind expression on his face that made him seem so serene – boy-like even which was very different from his normal haughty self.

Pratty stood up and, despite the great pain she was feeling in her bandaged stomach, walked to Varil. She rested her head against his chair and gently closed her eyes.

She remembered being so scared in her dream. She was afraid that the home she had come to know and love was a desolate town buried in snow. She was afraid that her friend was being swallowed by an inferno. But what scared her most of all was the fact that he had forgotten her – that she had lost him.

But no; It was probably someone else for Varil was still there…just as he always was.

~o~

Varil woke up and caught sight of the window. It was already dark; how long had he been asleep? He experienced a moment's panic attack when he saw that only Kutty was sleeping on Pratty's bed until he saw Pratty leaning against his chair wrapped in her bedcovers. He felt his face go hot for a second.

"Pratty…" he said, "Are you awake?"

"Yes…" she nodded.

Varil just realized how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and he sounds coming from his stomach showed it. Varil felt embarrassed for himself and his stomach.

Pratty smiled warmly and said, "Want to get something to eat?"

"Are you sure you're well enough to go outside?"

Pratty stood up to prove that she was in good condition. Of course there was still that slight pain in her stomach since the wound had not fully healed yet but she was sure she could very well walk outside.

"Yes," she said.

"Very well," said Varil standing up too, "But you're paying half the bill."

"When someone rich as you is around?!" exclaimed Pratty but eventually she gave in, "Okay, fine…"

She didn't care even if she was paying for everything as long as she got to spend time with him.

_**To be continued…**_


	7. Procrastination Part 2

This chapter was written at 3 am and yes, it is another procrastination chapter. I am not happy with a lot of things about this chapter but I decided to upload it anyway since…I'm sleepy and wanted to say that I achieved something. It is very, very, very, very short.

I decided to finally reveal a very, very important thing. Maybe some of you well get it, maybe some of you will not. But I really wanted to write this Chapter. I'm sure you'll have suspicions about certain characters after this.

Anyway, enjoy and review!

DISCLAIMER: How many times do I have to tell you that I DO NOT OWN SUUMON NIGHT?!

~O~

The red dragon's body lay dead on the labyrinth floor; its body covered by the wall debris. An even smaller red dragon nudged the body with his head trying to awaken his mother but to no avail. He gives a sad moan and curls himself beside the body.

He hears something – crying, gasping. He searches for the source of the noise. After sifting through the rubble, he uncovers a woman's dead body with a newborn baby wrapped tightly in her arms. He felt immediate sympathy for the creature who reminded him so much of himself. He tried to pull the woman's body out of the wreckage until he realized there was no hope for her, just like there was none for his own mother. He, instead, put the baby on his back and maneuvered to the lower labyrinth floors. His master would know what to do with the child.

"Thou hast come…and what company does thou bring?"

The dragon lay the baby in front of his master and explained how he came upon it.

"Thy loss will be mourned. Thou has been kind to saveth another. Very well. I will take thee into thine fold and thou shall take thee into his fold and shall be treated like kin."

The dragon bowed in agreement to his master's conditions. He will take care of the child as if he had the dragon's blood but still, it was no replacement for what he lost.

By that time, the baby had stopped crying. He was sleeping serenely on the warm floors of red crystal, not knowing that he had been adopted by the Holy Spirit of Fire.

_**To be Continued…**_


	8. Clueless

Chapter eight is when I make my cameo appearance (I'm the tall one). Watch out Wystern cause here I come! Again, review…pretty please.

I wanted this chapter to be longer, but what the heck! I uploaded it anyway.

WARNING: Author was extremely high when she wrote this.

~O~

The snow crunched as the two sisters made their way to the Central Tower. Master Kouren couldn't help but notice Sanary's uneasy look as she they walked together.

"Something on your mind?"

Sanary continued looking thoughtfully ahead. Something was clearing troubling her.

"You said Flynn was new to Wystern, right?" Sanary asked.

"Yes, I did. He came to Wystern about a year or so."

"How come he didn't participate in the last Craftknight tournament?"

"He just arrived shortly after a few days of the final match. Is there any particular reason why you want to know?"

"I'm not sure but I…saw him somewhere before. He just seems so familiar."

There was a moment's silence between the two sisters. Sanary felt disappointed at how little her sister knew about Flynn but then again, with the number of merchants and tourists coming to the City of Swords, the Craftlords never bothered keeping check of any of these emigrants.

"The way he…looks," continued Sanary with some hesitation, "And the way he acts. He gave no second thought to stabbing Mariel right in the chest. He didn't even look guilty when he wounded Pratty."

"Perhaps that's how they are where he comes from," said Master Kouren, "And besides, he was very civilized and careful during the rematch. Mariel did not receive any hit whatsoever but her weapon was completely destroyed. I have to admit, the boy's got skill."

"Hmmm…it's just that," said Sanary, "When I got close to him...during the match…I felt…scared."

"Sanary, why didn't you tell me this before?" asked Master Kouren with obvious concern. Sanary was not the type to be easily intimidated. She knew something was wrong.

"You think I could rant about how afraid I was in a room full of people who were probably more scared than me?" said Sanary with a sarcastic snort.

Master Kouren did some horrified faces. The people of Wystern, for one, were terrified when a Craftlord fell; Amariss was definitely scared for her daughter's life and the boy – Varil – never had she seen someone at such a loss.

"Point taken," replied Master Kouren, "For now, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt but you do know that the Craftlords cannot merely act on your suspicions."

"Yes, I know," Sanary sighed, "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just all in my head."

"Is that a giraffe?" said Master Kouren, surprised to see a giraffe in front of Central Tower. Nobody else seemed to notice the animal.

"What's a giraffe doing in Wystern?" asked Sanary with the same humorous mortification, "And why is it typing on a laptop? Do giraffes do that?"

Yes. Yes they do.

~o~

Wystern at night was a beautiful sight. The snow covered the streets giving it an enchanting white glow in the darkness. Snowflakes fell slowly to the ground, dancing delicately with the breeze in their descent. The lights of Wystern gave the night a sort of festive feel with its bright colors of blue, green, red and yellow. A huge Christmas tree stood in front of the Central Tower for everyone to behold its majesty. Everyone in Wystern had contributed somehow to this tree whether it was the ornaments or the lights. The Craftlords themselves made the magnificent, crystal star that stood proudly atop the tree.

The benches, light posts and even the fountain in the park were covered in Christmas lights. Their reflection in the fountain's cascading water gave the illusion of dancing fairies upon the water. The whole place was just magical.

Pratty and Varil sipped their cups of the traditional yuletide eggnog in their usual spot in the park. Pratty kept worrying about her dream but she just shook it off. No, Wystern will not be a frozen wasteland; the park won't be engulfed with flames; and Varil –

"Varil…"

"Hmmm?" said Varil looking up from his cup.

Pratty just shook her head and said, "Um, nevermind." She was being stupid. There was no way her dream could become real. That's why dreams are dreams – because they aren't real.

Varil sighed in exasperation.

"If you were going to ask me something, just do it," he said visibly annoyed.

"No, it was nothing," reassured Pratty, "Really."

Varil looked at his cup thoughtfully. After much thought, he finally faced Pratty with a confident smirk.

"Pratty?"

"Yes?"

"Wystern's New Year Trading Fair is a few weeks away and I just wanted you to know that my father gave me the task of opening it."

"Wow, that's great!" said Pratty genuinely happy for Varil, "Good luck with opening the fair."

"What are you talking about? You'll be accompanying me there, of course."

"What?" said Pratty, very surprised.

"What, you don't want to?" frowned Varil.

"No, I mean yes – no, I mean…can you just repeat everything from the beginning?"

"Okay, I'll say this slowly for you. The Craftlord of Iron, that's you, will be helping me in the opening ceremonies of the Wystern's New Year Trading fair. Did you get that, Pratty? Or do I need to repeat myself again?"

"Why me?"

"So I'm guessing you don't want to head the opening ceremonies?"

"No, I do –"

"You don't want to be my company to the fair?"

"No, I do but –"

"Then I see no reason to be discussing this any further. I'll tell you when practices will be held."

"Prac…tices?"

"We have to rehearse, of course. We'll be speaking to more than the people of Wystern. I'm sure I can do just fine but I think we need to work more on your parts just to be sure."

Varil emptied his cup of eggnog while Pratty stared at him dumbfounded.

"If you have no more questions," Varil said, "Then I think I'll go ahead and head back home unless you need any help going back to Middle Wystern or do you prefer we go back to your mother's?"

"No I think I'm…fine," she said. She was still recovering from the shock of what just happened, whatever did happen.

"Okay then, good night."

"Um…good night…"

Pratty was left staring at the fountain's waters, attempting to process what just happened. Had Varil just asked her to go with her to the fair?

~o~

Varil walked briskly back to his house in Middle Wystern. Wait, a minute! Is that a giraffe?!

Why, yes. Yes it is.

Varil decided to back away from the weird giraffe seemed to be staring at him. Why is it staring at him?

Asking Pratty turned out to be easier than he thought. Technically, he didn't ask but still, she didn't protest. At least, she didn't protest outright. Know that he thought about it the whole thing just seemed pretty comical.

"Young Master Varil! What are doing out so late?" inquired Nigelle as he opened the door. Varil merely waved his question away.

"I heard about Master Pratty," said Nigelle as he took Varil's coat, "How is she doing?"

"She's fine," said Varil as he headed for his room.

"You're second match notice just came in. I left it in your room."

"Thank you, Nigelle."

He was about to turn the door knob when the scene at the fountain replayed in his head.

Varil clutched his stomach in laughter.

~O~


	9. Of Old Beginnings and New Endings

A/N: I am letting it all out in the open. That's right; I'm going to put my entire literary prowess in this chapter so pretty please with little rainbow-colored sprinkles and those tasty, chewy marshmallows (not those bland tiny ones) on top, please review.

I researched all over the internet but I couldn't find the SNSCS cast's birthdates so after countless hours of debating with myself, I simply came to the conclusion that Varil's birth was during one cold winter night (you know, for purposes of convenience). I would be very grateful to anyone who can give me any of the cast's exact date of birth but until then my weak assumptions will have to suffice.

It's the day before Christmas Eve for those who are chronologically confused. And the Gold Guild is not Varil and Libody's place of residence but I suspect that both are in Middle Wystern.

I really hope you enjoy reading the chapter :D

~O~

Flynn gazed outside the window of his room at the Wystern Inn. Even though he had almost spent a year above, he still seemed lost here. So why was he so anxious leave the safety of his room for the chilly air of outside?

"Peere," he said, "Do you want to go outside?"

The small dragon lifted his head with deliberate effort and quickly laid it down again – a definite no.

Flynn shrugged but nevertheless started his excursion to the snowy streets. Peere followed begrudgingly. Flynn was very happy that his companion had sacrificed the warmth of the inn to accompany him, so in return he opened his arms providing Peere shelter from the cold. The creature gladly flew to him and snuggled near his chest.

Wystern was covered in a thick blanket of snow making it hard to move through the streets. The skies were a murky gray as heavy dots of white fall below.

Without really knowing where he was going, Flynn made his way to Middle Wystern. He remembered walking back and forth from there to here on the nights that he would sneak out of the labyrinth. The first time he did it was when he found out that his real family was living above him all that time. They did not deny him that truth but sometimes he wished they did.

He was excited, scared and curious at the same time. Should he introduce himself? Would they even know who he was? Should he just burst into that door and hope for a warm welcome? He oscillated between the thoughts of a loving human family and an indifferent one that had forgotten him for so many years.

It took some time before he could even bring himself to stare into the window of the biggest building in Middle Wystern. Only recently did he find out that it was called the Gold Guild but then, he was as clueless as the stray summons living in the labyrinth. But he only became more confused. The room was full of Craftknights, the very object of his hatred. These were the same Craftknights that take creatures away from their homes and make them into slaves of the furnace. Why were they there? Were they supposed to be his family? Was he supposed to be one of them?

Now as Flynn stares at that huge building, he remembers a little boy running back to the labyrinth confused and frightened. He was confused of whom he was and he was frightened at what he might be.

~o~

There was a knock on the door. Nigelle rushed to open it and was greeted by Pratty who was carrying a tower of four presents. Nigelle quickly helped the lady with her load.

"Thanks," said Pratty, "Is Varil here?"

"Yes, Master Pratty," responded Nigelle, "He's in his room getting ready. I'll help you take these to him if you wish."

"Thank you."

Pratty browsed the hall as they walked by and was very surprised at the lack of festive decoration. She expected a rich (and albeit pretentious) kid like Varil would throw himself a big party for his birthday.

"Is something wrong, Master Pratty," asked Nigelle seeing Pratty's puzzled look.

"It is Varil's birthday today, right," Pratty asked, obviously worried that she had misread the information on his tournament contestant information sheet.

"That is correct," replied Nigelle smiling, "It is the young Master Varil's birthday. Admittedly, you are the first, other than Master Libody and myself of course, to ever give him a gift for the occasion. Four gifts no less! You must be really fond of the young master."

"These aren't all mine," replied Pratty, "The shiny one is from Razzy –"

"I see she insisted in wrapping it herself despite her condition," chuckled Nigelle as he held up the present clumsily wrapped in crumpled red foil.

"It's the thought that counts," smiled Pratty, a bit embarrassed. She had her mother wrap hers.

"I assume this one is from Miss Sanary," inquired Nigelle, "I would have expected her to present her gift to the young master herself."

"She said that since I was sending along Razzy's and Mom's, I might as well bring hers too," said Pratty with a sigh.

"I see," said Nigelle with a laugh.

They arrived at the doorway of Varil's bedroom. Libody was already there waiting for his son. He was dressed in an all-black suit and held two white wreaths of carnations in his hands.

"Ah, Master Pratty," he greeted, "What brings a Craftlord to our humble home?"

"I just came to deliver birthday gifts," Pratty said.

"Well…um…isn't that nice," said Libody with complete sincerity. He really thought it was nice that his son finally had a friend who cared enough to give him a gift on his birthday.

Libody cleared his throat to cut through the awkward moment he had just created for himself and said "Just tell the boy to meet me outside when you're done."

Moments later Varil came out of his room. He too was wearing an all-black outfit.

"Pratty," he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Pratty raised the boxes in her hand in reply.

"Happy Birthday," she said simply as she shoved the presents in his arms.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go outside and assist Master Libody," said Nigelle as he laid the remaining two boxes in front of Varil's feet, "Excuse me Master Varil, Master Pratty."

And with that, Nigelle took his leave.

"…Thanks," muttered Varil as he stared thoughtfully at the boxes in his hands. The next moment he was tearing the first box's wrapping paper.

"You're going to open them now," asked Pratty surprised. Coincidentally, that one happened to be her present.

"Why? Should I not?"

"Um…no, not really. It's just some people like to open there presents in private."

"Why is that?"

"I don't really know. I guess so that their friends won't see their disappointment when they get something they don't like."

"Well, it's fine then. It's just you here."

Pratty had to admit that that hurt a bit.

Varil opened Pratty's present that happened to be a small crystal pendant.

"I'm still not very good at crafting anything but weapons," explained Pratty, "but I still hope you like it."

Varil wished he had listened to Pratty and opened his presents in private. Pratty watched his face expectantly but he just held it his palm and stared at it. She was beginning to worry that maybe he didn't like it.

"It's great," he said quietly.

"It's okay if you don't like it," smiled Pratty sadly, "Really…"

"No, I like it," said Varil as he put Pratty's gift around his neck, "Really…"

~o~

The wind howled as it got stronger. Peere wriggled closer to Flynn looking for warmth but Flynn just stood on the street motionless, staring at the Gold Guild. He always went back even after what he saw.

Was it out of mere curiosity? Or did he secretly long for a human family despite what he had convinced himself? Yes, he was happy with his brother's and sister's and he undoubtedly had the best Master in to teach him the craft. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing to gain from the world above. Yet here he was again at this very same spot.

Eventually, he found his true father and was never more disappointed in his life. A fat, greedy man who gained his riches from others' incompetence is not a father he was proud to have. Then there was another person who was always with him. An uncle, perhaps? If that was so, then what a blatant display of nepotism! It only made him hate the man more. But then, maybe he was just looking for reasons to hate his biological father so that he won't have to see him…so that he won't have to face him. He was being a coward scared of leaving the life and family he had come to know, scared of rejection before they even knew who he was, and scared of the truth.

He hated himself for being so afraid.

But there was someone else – a boy. He wasn't sure what their relationship was but there was something very strange. They had the same face.

~o~

Nigelle reappeared in the hallway covered in flakes of snow.

"Master Varil, you're father is waiting for you outside," he said, "I suggest you don't make him wait any longer."

Varil nodded and looked at Pratty.

"Come on," he said beckoning her to follow him outside.

"Huh, what?"

Varil sighed in exasperation and said "I want you to come with us."

Pratty looked puzzled.

"There's someone I want you to meet," added Varil.

Pratty finally nodded and followed him outside.

~o~

He has a brother. If they had the same face, then surely they would know who he was? No, that only made him more discouraged. He felt ashamed that he shared a face with such a boy. How could he not see what he could've been in a person who had the same face as his? What if fate had not intervened? Would he have had the same life as that pitiful boy? His brother was effortlessly talented, yes, while he had to work for his talent but still you couldn't say that he was better. But lately, he has been improving…

Flynn kicked the snow in frustration. What was he thinking he would get by coming here? He had been here a million times and nothing has changed for the better. Half his family and his master had gone while he was too busy obsessing over another family. He has a mission and he promised that he will see it through the end. He tightened his arms around Peere.

He heard footsteps coming towards him. He hid quickly and waited to see who it was. If it wasn't father and dear brother with the one who banished Master. What were they doing out in a snowstorm? He decided to follow them out of curiosity. He chuckled at himself because for a second he almost thought he was doing it out of concern.

~o~

The waves splashed violently against the docks and boats rocked dangerously back and forth. It was definitely not a good time to be there but still, they were. Varil and Libody placed their wreaths on the water and let them be carried away by the waves. The wind seemed to be singing a solemn song as they stood there watching the flowers float away. The wind gradually died down and the waves became calmer as the wreaths became dots of white swallowed by the sea's horizon. Now, the snowflakes once again descend gently onto the ground.

"Varil," said Libody, "I'm sorry son, but I have a meeting with the builders –"

"Just go," whispered Varil. Every year they do this and every year Libody stays get shorter. "I understand. That's why I bought Pratty along."

Libody nodded and went.

"Do you miss him?" asked Varil.

"Hmm?" said Pratty.

"Your father, Master Shinetsu," said Varil not taking his gaze away from the sea, "Do you miss him?"

"Of course. I was just a child when he had gone and I don't remember much about him but he's my father and I miss him very much."

There was a moment of silence between them as Varil stared out into the ocean and Pratty tried to pick her memory for anything that might remind her of her father.

"What about you," she asked, "Do you miss your mother?"

"Honestly, no," answered Varil plainly, "Don't get me wrong; I do wish that she hadn't died. But she died when I was a baby and a barely knew her so there really isn't anything much to miss. The wreaths were for my mother. Today she died and I was born."

"I'm so sorry."

"You only apologize if it's your fault…and it's not."

"Are you still angry at your father?"

Varil thought, how could he blame his father for failing to protect someone he cared for when he also failed to do the same?

~o~

Shortly after Pratty and Varil left, Flynn came out from his hiding place and placed a sleeping Peere on top of one of the crates. So today was when he came to be. He always knew his mother died during childbirth. They had told them that he was saved from her lifeless carcass.

The daughter of Iron, why was she even here? Every time he was around her, he had to restrain himself from killing her. He almost couldn't do it at the match with the twins. He had not forgotten what she and her kin have done to her master. His master's hatred was the same as his. He remembered that day clearly – his master telling him to take the others and hide; they'll soon be home, he said. And now, all that was left was to finish what he started.

Flynn noticed a white carnation on the ground that blended so perfectly with the snow that he almost didn't see it. He scooped it up carefully with his two hands and placed it gently on the water. He watched the small flower float out to sea wondering if it'll ever get to his dead mother. Maybe if it did, then maybe she'll know that her other son loved her too.

~O~

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. Christmas Eve Part 1

A/N: Woah, we've got one long chapter here. Originally, I planned the whole Christmas Eve to be in one chapter then I realized it'd be way too long.

Big thanks to Ruby for taking the time to beta-read and for the brilliant ideas she contributed. I really enjoy working with her.

Varil is reminiscing = italicized words, just so no one gets confused.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Hopefully, the next one will be coming up soon. Please, take the time to review. It'll really mean a lot to me.

P.S. Does anyone know when Golden Sun on DS is coming out?

~O~

Varil opened the door of his room and placed his spear on its stand. He had just won another match and was another step closer to being a Craftlord. He lay on his bed exhausted. The match itself wasn't much of a fight but he had been roaming the labyrinth for hours trying to find some summons for training, a task which had surprisingly gotten more difficult since the labyrinth was practically devoid of any strays. Most Craftknights had to get to the lower levels just to even get one encounter. Now that he thought about it, Varil did notice that there had been a gradual decrease since the earthquakes.

Speaking of earthquakes, there was another one the night before Varil's match – the same night they paid respects to his mother. He remembered standing behind the door of their sitting room while his father sat in front of the fire while talking to Nigelle about it.

_"…I don't sheeee why people are complaining," said Master Libody, "It's easier…finding ores this way."_

_"Even so…people think it's strange," whispered Nigelle careful not to stir the household this late at night, "…probably rattled by last year's chain of events…"_

He could only hear bits of their conversation then. How could he not help but eavesdrop at that time when he was wondering about this for so long? He stared up into the ceiling trying to recall last night's verbatim.

"_The earthquakes probably drove all – out all ofrrrr the strays," mumbled Libody. His words slurred and he spoke in uneven tones. It was obvious that he was drinking over the death of his wife, something he had done every year._

_Nigelle cleared the sitting room table of the vintage wine bottles and continued speaking with Libody. "Well despite all that, I'm glad that no more gems have been stolen in all this chaos."_

_"Hmrph! Thief cou – couldn't probably handle the new security! Thaat showed him… stealing shummonite gems and whart doesh he get?! He's gotten none the richer and we've got a feneshtival…fair to show for it! Heck, I'm still richest…betcha thaaat…"_

_"Master Libody, I would request that you keep your voice down. You wouldn't want to wake up young master Varil…he's got another match tomorrow you know."_

_But instead of lowering his voice, Libody broke into nearly incoherent sobs and said, "And what do I have to show for that?! A dead wife and a boy…my boy, haaaates my gutsh…"_

_Nigelle remained silent as he cleared the table. Familiar he was with this yearly script, he knew better than to interrupt._

_"Oh, you know I'm right, Nigelle! Thinks I let her – let her die…maybe, if I…maybe, I did…on – on that day."_

That was the first time Varil had ever heard his father talk directly about his mother's death. Varil had gotten a general picture of what happened by squeezing out tidbits of information from Nigelle. From what he gathered it was that his mother was pregnant, his father's a coward and he was born. He turned on his side and looked out the window as he remembered his father wallow in his own self-pity.

_Nigelle replied, automatically knowing he was going to be interrupted, "You couldn't have done any–"_

_"I couldn't have done anything! Eshactly!" said Libody thumping his fists on the table, "Not a – nothing! Eshactly…nothing."_

_Libody lay his head on chairs cushions as he stared into the flames in the fireplace._

_"Varil, my boy…smart lad he is probably knowsh…knowsh all about it! I washn't…washn't good enough to be a Craftlord, trueee that. Never been ash good ash her – she's where Varil gets it from, I'm suure."_

Varil pulled the covers up; the room had gotten colder. He still hadn't changed but he was too tired to go get up. His eyelids fell droopily and his heart beat began to slow yet he still battled with the comforting temptation of sleep. He shouldn't be feeling so sleepy this early in the afternoon.

_"Shtill…it wouldn't have taken a Craftlord to save her on – on that day. Leasht I could do was save our boy…Yes, our boy is safe. Safe…"_

_Finally, the wine had gotten to Libody and he had dozed off. Seconds later, he jerk back awake and back to his sense._

_"Urhm!" said Libody, shaking his head vigorously as he tried to stay awake, "Well, I think – I think it's time for bed, don't you Nigelle?"_

_"Of course, sir," Nigelle acknowledged as he helped his intoxicated Master out of his chair._

_"No need,I may be drunk but I can still…you know – urm – walk by myself. Hmph…I'm so drunk I'm beginning to sound like Bron! "_

Varil sniggered in his bed as he remembered his father passing through the doorway while laughing at his own joke, not even noticing that his son was behind the door. By now his eyes were completely closed and he wasn't sure he could fight of the drowsiness any longer.

_Nigelle cleared the table top of any wine spills. He grabbed the empty bottles and headed to the doorway. Just when only the door separated him and Varil, he stopped for a moment and said, "You better go to sleep to young master."_

Before he knew it, Varil had already dozed off.

~o~

Pratty entered her mother's home covered in snow, with Kutty right behind her. She hung her coat and put down her bag of weapons as her mother just went out of the kitchen holding a big pot of soup for their Christmas Eve dinner. Pratty hurried to help her carry it to the table that was already laden with dishes of cured roasted ham, freshly made eggnog and the other basic Christmas dishes.

"Pratty, Kutty," said Amariss as she wiped her hands on her apron, "You're a little early. We don't eat until another three hours. And besides, shouldn't you be in a meeting with the other Craftlords?"

"I just came from the central tower," said Pratty, "The earthquake today had everyone very worried. We went down the labyrinth again but didn't see anything strange. We didn't see anything, in fact. The labyrinth was practically deserted."

"How are you feeling today?" asked Amariss with concern: "Is your stomach still hurting? Do you need warmer clothing?"

"I'm fine, mom." answered Pratty: "The wound still hurts a little. But otherwise, I'm perfectly okay. Right, Kutty?"

"Kutty!" said Kutty in total agreement.

"Really…" added Pratty seeing her mother's unconvinced face.

"I know that as a Craftlord you have to look out for the people of Wystern, but please don't forget to look after yourself. Okay, Pratty?" said Amariss with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Of course, mom." said Pratty. Pratty knew that her mother was probably thinking about her father, Shinetsu, who sacrificed his own soul for the City of Swords. Pratty never thought how her mother felt about that until now. She had always liked to think that Amariss had been very proud to be the wife of the hero of Wystern. But perhaps she was unhappy that he had picked to leave his family for the people of Wystern.

Kutty floated above the table, taking in a deep breath of all Amariss Christmas cuisine. Kutty sighed and gave Amariss and Pratty a look that obviously meant he wanted to be fed.

"Not yet, Kutty," said Amariss sternly, "You have to wait until everyone gets here for the Christmas feast."

"Oh yeah," said Pratty as she began sorting through the Christmas presents, checking for gift-wrapping defects and making sure the cards were in place, "Master Rondeau had said he'd be happy to eat with us tonight."

"That's wonderful!" said Amariss, happy to know that Master Rondeau won't be spending Christmas Eve alone, "What about the other Craftlords? Is Sakuro coming to Wystern for Christmas?"

"No. He sent us a card saying that he won't be able to make it. Um, I think I have it here."

Pratty rummaged her bag for the post card from Master Sakuro and handed it to her mother.

"Happy holidays," read Amariss: "Seashell-collecting has been going great. Hugs and kisses, Sakuro."

Amariss paused for a bit, digesting the words that were written on the picture of Sakuro holding a big fish.

"Hugs and kisses?" she finally asked with obvious amusement on her face.

Pratty merely giggled: "Master Ureksa says that he hasn't changed a bit."

"Oh right! Will Ureksa be coming?"

"No, he already went to Vance to celebrate with Master Rumari and Master Tyram. He said they'll be coming for the fair, though."

"I wouldn't expect him to do any less. At least, Rondeau and Kouren will be coming. I better make more eggnog just in case."

Amariss rushed back into the kitchen to continue cooking. Pratty resumed the task of double-checking the presents as Kutty watched. She reread every card, making sure that she had written in the right Christmas wishes. She smiled when picked up Razzy's gift.

"Kuu…" said Kutty, trying to get a peek of the card.

"Kutty, can you check if I've written it alright?" asked Pratty.

"Kutty!" the guardian beast replied, hovering around in the air with excitement.

"This one is for Razzy: 'Congratulations on getting well so fast. Hope you like your present. I picked it out especially for you. From, Pratty.' I got her some the tulip seeds. I decided to give the marigold seeds to Master Rondeau instead. I'm sure they'll like that for their flower garden."

"Kutty!" said the guardian beast with much enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you think so too. Ok, this one's for Sanary. I gave her some of the Dragon Ore I found in the labyrinth. I remember how she would go on and on about going to labyrinth and spending hours there just to find some Dragon Ore."

"Kutty," agreed Kutty remembering the moments of Sanary and her obsession with top grade ore.

"The card says, 'Nice work in the tournament so far. I'm sure you'll find some use for this. From, Pratty.'"

"Kutty…" said Kutty thoughtfully until he finally nodded his head approving of the card.

Pratty then proceeded to look for another present. She grabbed the nearest one and then noticed that it had no message on the card; it only had the name of the receiver and the giver.

"Kutty?" said Kutty noticing the lack of words on the card that was attached to the smallest box in the pile.

"This one's for Varil. I had a really hard time finding out what to get him since his birthday was just yesterday. I gave him a boam."

"Kuuu?!"

"I know it sounds lame," said Pratty rather embarrassed, "You'd think someone like him would have a lot of boam. Yeah, he has a lot of boam but he doesn't have a single boam."

"Kuu?" Kutty was getting confused.

"I mean he doesn't have the kind of boam that you can throw in the fountain. You know, just one small boam. Did you know that he's never made a wish despite being at the Park all the time?"

"Kuu…"

"Yeah, it still sounds lame," sighed Pratty, "But I guess it'll have to do."

"Kutty," said Kutty pointing to the card.

"Oh right! Thanks, Kutty. How about 'Merry Christmas'?"

Kutty frowned at her generic greeting.

"Okay…umm…here." Pratty grabbed her pen and read the greeting as she wrote it down, "Now you can make a wish. From, Pratty."

"It's not that bad, right?" Pratty asked hopefully.

Kutty hid the small box behind the others in reply. He seemed to think that all hope is lost.

~o~

The snow fell gently on the gray pavement of the City of Swords, making it look like a holiday greeting card in monochrome. But then the colorful Christmas lights would shine again, reminding us that everything needn't be in black and white. The snow's muted white seemed to make everything more colorful in comparison, even in a town of soot and steel such as Wystern. The footprints in the snow left faint reminders of those who trudged its path, perhaps hurrying to get to the family reunion or cramming to buy that forgotten Christmas gift. For Pratty's case, it was running to the inn to get a whole pot of gravy before their guests arrived.

Pratty entered the inn with her hair and coat covered with flakes of snow. She half-heartedly tried to brush them off before going to the counter where the innkeeper was.

"Master Pratty," said the innkeeper with a wide grin, "What brings you here – during Christmas Eve, no less."

"Hello, Sam," greeted Pratty, "My mother ordered some gravy a while ago. She sent me to pick it up."

"Ah, yes! Amariss' order is ready in the kitchen. Wait right here," said Sam as he went through the door at the back of the counter.

Pratty seated herself in the nearest chair and waited patiently in the empty inn. Aside from the inn's resident cat, everyone who Pratty would usually see in the inn had probably gone home to their families to celebrate the holidays. That was what Pratty thought until the door opened and a familiar figure with ruby-red goggles entered with a dragon in his arms. The good-natured smile she gave Flynn as he entered seemed to perplex him so much that he stood there for quite some time before he could open his mouth to speak.

"Master Pratty," he said with awkward reluctance, "Er…how are you? Are you feeling okay after the…um…"

"No, it's alright," she replied, "I'm fine."

There was a moment of brief silence between them that was only interrupted when Sam came out of the kitchen holding a huge pot. The thick, brown liquid sploshed as he put the pot down on the counter.

"Phew!" breathed Sam as he wiped the sweat of his brow after doing that heavy-lifting, "A huge vat of gravy for the lady. Can't have Christmas without gravy."

"Thanks Sam," said Pratty, "What about you, Sam? I'm sure Mom'll be happy to have another guest to help finish off all this gravy."

"Thank you for the offer Master Pratty, but running an inn is a year round job. I'd offer to help carry that if I didn't have more orders to handle."

"Don't worry, I can carry this myself," said Pratty, giving a big heave as she lifted the pot from the counter, "What about you, Flynn? Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Flynn, who was about to go upstairs to his room, was rather startled that she had remembered him.

"Um, not really. No," he answered with nonchalance.

"Flynn," exclaimed Sam, "Didn't notice you were there! Since you don't have any plans, why don't you go with Master Pratty? She makes amazing curry."

"Yeah, Mom doesn't really like the idea of someone spending their Christmas alone," chimed in Pratty.

"I don't think that's the best ide –" Flynn began.

"Nonsense!" said Sam, "You can help her carry the gravy. You just leave your guardian beast here; I can look out for Peere for you while you're gone."

The next thing Flynn knew, he was being pushed out of the door by the innkeeper, helping the Craftlord of Iron hold a pot of gravy.

~o~

Rays of red-orange light peaked behind the clouds as the sun slowly lowered itself over the horizon. A faint spotlight shone on Varil as he slept peacefully on the huge bed of his sunset-illuminated room. His blue eyes squinted at the light and then flew wide open in blatant realization – he was late! His fought with his bed sheets in the flurry to get up and leave as soon as possible. No way was he going to excuse his tardiness, not when he had complained to Pratty so much about hers. He struggled with his shoes before he rushed out of his bedroom and into the hall where he ran into his father and Nigelle.

"Woah, boy!" said Libody, "What's the rush?"

"Not now, father," panted Varil, "I'm going to be late for Pratty and her mother's Christmas feast."

"Oh, I see," said Libody with a rather weak chuckle, "Don't let me keep you then."

The two men watched Varil dash out of the door. Christmas celebrations at their house were always subtle with usually just Varil, Libody and Nigelle as most of the servants were gone for the holidays. The Christmas feast was undeniably extravagant yet the Christmas festivities themselves were practically non-existent, so it was understandable that Varil wanted to spend Christmas Eve someplace else. Libody had even encouraged Varil to go, but that doesn't mean it made him less disappointed and unhappy.

"Looks like it'll just be you and me this Christmas, Nigelle…" muttered Libody with a sigh.

"Shall we begin the celebrations by making some eggnog, sir?" suggested Nigelle.

"That'll be nice," said Libody still not taking his eyes of the doorway where his son had momentarily just exited.

~o~

The snow crunched under Varil's hurried footsteps. The snow was too deep for him to run in but luckily, Nigelle had already left the Christmas gifts just outside the porch. If he hurried, he could just make it in time. When he finally made it to the stairs, he saw a ruddy, old, man holding a huge sack dressed in traditional Christmas red.

"Master Rondeau?" said Varil, moving closer.

"Varil," said Master Rondeau, "Going to Amariss' place too, are you?"

Varil nodded slowly, still flabbergasted at Master Rondeau's outfit – a red overcoat with green fringes on the sleeves, a green and red striped scarf and to top it all off, the traditional Santa Claus hat.

"I see you've taken notice of my Christmas garb," said Master Rondeau twirling back and forth to show the full affect, "I haven't had a chance to wear this in years."

"I can see why," murmured Varil under his breath.

"So shall we go," invited Master Rondeau as he slung his sack over his shoulder making him look like a poor semblance of Father Christmas.

Varil let out a sigh of relief as they went down the winding staircase. Even if they were late, no one would put that against the Craftlord of Diamond, no matter how ridiculously dressed he was. They walked without any conversation, only Master Rondeau humming Christmas carols to himself and Varil double-checking in his head whether he had brought everything he needed. It was already dark and the streetlights lit up as they walked past. By the time they got to Amariss' house, they could see shadows of recognizable figures in the window and the sound of familiar voicing chatting, wishing each other a merry Christmas.

Varil gathered his bearings and pushed open the door, ready to partake in the Christmas cheer. He did not expect to be completely taken aback by who he saw – Flynn, the Craftknight who had almost killed Pratty, hesitantly sipping a cup of eggnog.

~O~

To be Continued…


	11. Christmas Memories

A/N: Told you the next chapter was coming soon. Thanks to my beta-reader for correcting my bad old English.

The dragon that saved Flynn in the Procrastination chapter was female, okay?

Again, please take time to review. Audience feedback is always nice; it encourages me to write better and faster. Don't be afraid to type out what you think and feel. Release that inner critic!

~O~

Christmas day had come to the City of Swords. We see a humble home, festively decorated with tinsel, bright lights and nature's own fluff. A mahogany table was laden with a fare that consisted of common Christmas dishes but was mouth-watering nonetheless. Inside what seemed to be the picturesque Christmas greeting card home, was a family of three who sat beside the presents under the Christmas tree. It had taken an arm and a leg to get that tree there, but it was worth it. A six-year-old toddler sat on her father's lap, eagerly grabbing the nearest box then putting it next to her ear and shaking it vigorously.

"Be careful, Pratty." warned Amariss, "You might break what's inside."

Pratty, following her mother's advice, immediately stopped shaking the box and put it gently down on the floor. She was now staring at it intensely, as if trying to pierce through the wrapping to see the contents. Shintestu laughed, seeing his daughter's expression.

"Well, come on." he urged, "Open it."

Pratty wasted no time completely ripping apart the wrapping paper yet she handled the box like fragile glass and opened the lid as delicately as her tiny fingers could. Her eyes widened in amazement as she saw her Christmas gift: her father's old Craftknight Apprentice hat.

She held it in her hands for a moment, gazing at the hat in order to take it all in, until finally bringing it to her chest, hugging it with both arms and said, "Does this mean…"

Shintestu nodded and answered: "We think you're old enough to start your apprenticeship."

"Your father always said that he couldn't have survived his apprenticeship without that hat." added Amariss.

"Of course, not many apprentices wear it anymore since it's been out of style and gives you bad hat hair. But it can still keep the soot out of your eyes and help you examine ores." he said proudly.

Pratty marveled at it for a few seconds before putting it on her head in a lopsided fashion.

"How does it look?" Pratty asks.

Amariss then straightened out the hat and put the little tufts of Pratty's hair out of the hat holes.

"There," said Amariss, "You look adorable."

"Just like your mother," chuckled Shintestu. "Maybe we can even start your training tomorrow."

"Really?!" exclaimed Pratty with great excitement.

"Only if you think you're ready." replied Shintestu.

Pratty nodded her head with much enthusiasm, a wide smile plastered on her face.

They heard steady, clear knocks coming from the door. Shintestu carried Pratty off his lap and answered the door. The Craftlord of Ruby stood outside the snow with her little sister, who looked extremely aggravated, beside her. She was holding a beautifully wrapped box and looked flustered, as if she had walked a fair distance. She tried to regain her calm and cool facade by straightening her posture and carefully brushing the snow off her garments.

"Good morning, Master Shintestu…" she began: "I'm sorry I wasn't able to come to your family's Christmas feast last night..."

"That's fine," he said: "Amariss and I knew you had other things planned."

"Right," mumbled Kouren, her voice with a hint of sadness.

She cleared her throat, handed him the box she was holding and said simply, "Well, Merry Christmas."

Sanary tugged on her sister's coat and grumbled: "We can go home now, righ –"

But she was unable to finish her sentence, as the ground had started shaking violently, causing the little girl to fall. Fortunately, she was caught just in time by her sister before she could fall face first into the snow. Inside, the plates rattled loudly and the tree shook, causing needles to fall down on Pratty and Amariss' hair. Amariss held her daughter tightly while Pratty looked at her father, who was now holding the doorway in order to balance himself. Moments later, the shaking subsided.

Master Kouren and Master Shintestu shared the same look of urgency and understanding.

"I'm sorry, Sanary…" said Master Kouren with concern: "Can you go back home by yourself?"

Sanary nodded, avoiding her sister's gaze. Shintestu gave Amariss an apologetic glance. She merely smiled and said, "Go."

The two Craftlords headed off to the Central Tower. Sanary kicked the snow in her frustration and muttered: "I don't see why she does it if it only makes her more depressed…"

Amariss walked up to Sanary and asked: "Would you like to come in for some eggnog?"

Sanary took one good look at Amariss, blushed, and then quickly looked away.

"No, thank you ma'am." She muttered with her eyes fixed on the snow-laden ground. "I should be getting back home."

"Are you going to be alright all by yourself?"

"Yes ma'am." she answered.

"Oh, just call me 'Amariss'." she gently suggested.

Sanary knew her name; it was the same one her sister would always speak in sad tones, coated in jealousy and disappointment.

"Sanary…was it?" she inquired.

Sanary nodded slowly.

"Well, be careful on your way home, Sanary. Just come back here if you need any help."

Sanary gave her one last nod of acknowledgement and went on her way. As she walked farther and farther away, the more she thought it to be highly unlikely that she'd ever want to go back to the Craftlord of Iron's house.

~o~

Varil awoke early in the morning with his presents already in front of his bed stand. However, he ignored the huge pile and went straight outside his room without changing out of his night wear. His hair was in disarray and his eyes squinted from the light as he carried himself to the kitchen. Nigelle was there, preparing their morning meal.

"Good morning, young master." said Nigelle, putting a plate of cheese omelet in front of Varil.

Varil looked at it blankly for a moment before sayin: "I don't want eggs."

"Well, what does the young master want?"

"Why are you cooking?" asked Varil with disdain: "Where's Melissa or Marissa or whatever her name was? Where's the cook?"

"Her name was Sally, Master Varil." replied Nigelle without even a hint of annoyance. Apparently, he was used to his young master's behavior and understands the reasoning behind the little boy's demeanor.

"The servants left for the holidays, if you recall. I suppose you find my cooking inadequate? I can make you something else if you like. Maybe some toast or a bowl of corn flakes, if that's what you prefer."

Varil just about slammed his head onto the table, letting out a soft groan. He slowly began putting the eggs in his mouth sideways, miraculously not spilling anything on the ornate kitchen table.

"I put all your Christmas and birthday presents in your room, young master. Master Libody's coming home today with some of his business associates, so I suggest we get you ready for the Christmas party later this afternoon."

"Uh-huh…" Varil replied absentmindedly.

Nigelle sighed and took a seat next to his young master. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and gave it to Varil.

"What is this?" asked Varil with genuine interest.

"Something to keep you busy during the party," answered Nigelle, then his voice got softer when he whispered, "A treasure map, of sorts."

Varil then opened the rolled up piece of paper and examined it with a critical eye. After a while, he muttered: "Treasure, huh?"

"Yes, right in this very house."

"My father's been hiding treasure? I'm not surprised."

"Oh, then don't you want to find out why he has been hiding it?"

Varil looked thoughtful for a few seconds, considering what Nigelle just said and gave one assured nod.

"Yes. Yes I do."

~o~

Sanary walked briskly past the Central Tower, eager to get home. There were not many people on the streets when she and her sister were heading to Master Shintestu's house but the recent earthquake had them looking out of their homes in curiosity.

As Sanary passed by the shop, she noticed a little boy wearing an oversized coat and peculiar crystalline red goggles, sitting next to the entrance of the closed shop. He was rubbing his arms and hands together, trying to stay warm. Sanary, feeling a bit sorry for the lad, approached him.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" she asked.

The boy was startled by her presence, so it took him quite some time before he could answer…or more like, ask back: "Dost thou speak'st to me?"

"Huh?"

"Dost thou art know when tis stand shall open?" he asked a different question, rather brashly.

"I'm sorry, but the shop's not going to open today. It's Christmas."

"Christmas? What is such that it prevents me from procuring a remedy for my sister?"

"All the shops are closed during Christmas, but…"

Sanary searched her pack until she found a small bottle of Klotzen potion.

"My sister gave it to me just in case I got hurt." she explained as she handed it to the boy. "But I think you need it more."

The boy looked at it the bottle in the girl's hand, unsure of whether or not to accept it.

"Well, take it." insisted Sanary: "You said your sister was sick, right?"

He pocketed it in his coat with care and uttered: "I thank thee." He then gave Sanary a stiff bow and went off.

~o~

The household was packed with guests, all with big names and big titles, each spouting the same string of big words. Among all those big people, was a little boy trying to find a way to escape all the commotion.

"Varil, come here." called out Libody.

Varil had no choice but to comply and present himself as the well-dressed son of the Gold Guild.

"This is Bardonel, one of Shintetsu's apprentices." introduced Libody. "This is his wife, Charissa. Bardonel, Charissa, this is my son, Varil."

"Nice to meet you." said Varil in monotone, bowing respectively to the huge man and his beautiful blond wife.

"Ah, handsome young lad, isn't he" said Bardonel. "We have a daughter just about his age."

"Yes, I'm sure Clarie would love to meet him." added Charissa.

"Well, I'm sure we can arrange something." suggested Libody.

Varil got tired of them talking like he wasn't there and decided to escape this formal chaos. When he safely got away, he rolled open the map Nigelle gave him and started following its directions. It led him to the upper parts of the mansion that were barely used except for being the occasional guest space and storage areas. He found himself in the highest part of their house, the attic—a place he never knew had existed before. The place was a complete mess, filled with old, rusted weapons, tattered sheets, and forgotten knickknacks. The deeper he went, the dustier the weapons became but the craftsmanship also improved tenfold. He wondered why such superb weaponry was being kept in the attic. Finally, he came upon a faded portrait of a beautiful woman who had a proud air around her but still smiled at him gently. She was wearing two, blue clip-on earrings that complimented her stern yet kind eyes.

"Mother…" he whispered.

At the end of the room, was a lone, dusty, little box. Varil wiped the dust off to reveal the delicate carvings on the wood and a fine yet broken silver lock. He opened the box to find pieces of exquisite jewelry—a necklace with a round jade stone wrapped intricately in lines of silver. A gold, floral brooch studded with tiny rubies…silver earrings, each containing a lovely sapphire…and others among them. What caught Varil's eye was a simple blue clip-on earring with a single, small, simple crystal on it—the same earring his mother wore in the portrait. He searched the box but couldn't find the pair. Without even a moment's hesitation, he took the box from the attic to hide it somewhere in his room. He couldn't stand to leave it there attic, to simply gather dust and be forgotten along with the other clutter of memories.

~o~

Flynn made his way up to the Central Tower, since it was the quickest way back to the labyrinth, but he did not expect the entrance to be guarded. He had to find another way back. He climbed to the third floor and was almost seen when two people hurriedly ran upstairs. He hid in the corner, waiting for them to pass.

"Kouren, what happened to Rumari?!" demanded the man.

"It was her turn to offer weapons to the Holy Spirit and…something happened," replied the woman calmly: "She came to close to the flames. The other Craftlords below are trying to calm the creature."

"But my sister!" yelled the man, losing his patience: "Why aren't you Craftlords tending to her?"

"Ureksa, calm down. Don't you think I'm worried about my best friend? "

Ureksa head fell in embarrassment. His angry features softened and his body seemed to loss some of its tension.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Where is she now?"

"She is in the room down the hall," directed Kouren, with a composed voice, "Don't worry. Crystal is with her. Now, excuse me. I have to be at the labyrinth chambers with the others."

"Don't you want to see her?"

"Yes, I do but there are more important things at hand. I'm sorry but right now, my duty as a Craftlord supersedes my duty as friend."

They left the hall in opposite directions, leaving Flynn free to enter the labyrinth. He became worried. They said something happened to his Master. He hurriedly went to the lower labyrinth's chambers and saw the Craftlords subduing his master, who was trashing savagely attempting to free himself. Although he knew that his master was strong, he was still at a great disadvantage. Flynn wanted to help him, he wanted them to stop hurting him but all he could do was watch for what was a little boy compared to five Craftlords, each striking with certainty with weapons created from the fires of which they were trying to subdue.

Ultimately, Parista could not handle anymore and fell in exhaustion. The Craftlords gathered their breath after the fight.

"Maybe it would be better if we gave in to the Holy Spirit's demands." suggested the youngest Craftlord, while straightening his glasses.

"No," the one with the eel-moustache disagreed, "Wystern needs Parista's fire for our forges. The quality of our weaponry will decline if we set him free."

"But the Holy Spirit of Fire has already taught us more about crafting than we could ever hope for." said the gray-haired Craftlord: "It would be unfair to keep him here."

"Fine, then choose your own self-righteous morals over the well-being of Wystern."

"How dare you!" uttered the gray-haired Craftlord indignantly. "I would never do such a thing. This creature shook the very foundations of our city in a bid for freedom. How long will you think the city will last like this?"

"And how long do you think our city will last without a steady source of income?"

"Enough!" bellowed the eldest Craftlord: "I will call a Craftlord meeting and we can discuss it there. Ruby have you informed Ureksa of his sister's condition?"

"Yes, Master Rondeau," answered the female Craftlord.

"Good. Until then, no citizen will be allowed entrance to the deeper parts of the labyrinth until it is safe."

"But we promised—" began the gray-haired Craftlord.

"Yes, we did. I know this weighs deeply on your conscience Iron, but until we can come to an agreement on this matter, I cannot allow you to free Parista. Not yet."

The four Craftlords began to leave, but Shintestu remained and stared at the defeated creature with sad eyes. The elder stood still at the doorway for a moment and said: "I know what the price of the Holy Spirit's freedom is. We cannot afford that yet."

There was silence between the two of them, only broken by the Parista's sad groans.

"Think about your family, Shintestu." the elder Craftlord added before leaving the chamber.

Shintestu let out a sad sigh and followed the others to the surface. After he was sure that they were gone, Flynn hurried to his master to see if he was alright,

"Flynn," Parista moans, "Hast thou bought the remedy for thy sister?"

Flynn nodded; the words seemed to be stuck in his throat in an attempt to choke back his tears.

"Go then. She is hiding with the others."

Flynn still keeps the unused bottle of Klotzen potion as a constant reminder of his failure to save the one who had saved him.

~O~

To be Continued…


End file.
